Shotgun Drills For Home Defense

I came across to a link to this video earlier today. In it, Chris Baker of LuckyGunner.com goes through four drills that he suggests you should practice if you intend to use a shotgun for home defense. As I bought the Complementary Spouse a 20 gauge Mossberg 500 Bantam Tactical shotgun (with a purple stock and handguard!) for Christmas, I think these drills have a lot of merit.

The drills include:

  1. Mount, shoot one
  2. The follow-through
  3. Shoot, Reload, Shoot
  4. Reload from Empty

Chris explains it in detail here. I met Chris at the NRA Annual Meeting last year in Nashville. He impressed me as an on the ball sort of guy.

As a reminder, I am a LuckyGunner affiliate. Commissions earned through this program are donated in their entirety to gun rights organizations. Just use the LuckyGunner link in the upper right side of this page.

They are one of the few places that has the 20 gauge Rio Royal Buck in #1 buckshot as well as the 20 gauge Brenneke Tactical Home Defense Slugs. Finding adequate home defense ammo in 20 gauge is a lot harder than finding equivalent ammo for the 12 gauge.

One Shot Draw Drills

Enough with the political stuff! Here is something interesting that you can use at the range if they allow you draw from a holster. While most indoor ranges forbid it, you could do it at an outdoor range in most places.

In this training video from the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Doug Koenig demonstrates how he uses a one shot draw drill to speed up his response time for steel challenge competitions. He notes that he first starts out doing the drill at home with dry-fire practice. That is something everyone could do regardless of what his or her favorite range allows.

Training Tip – Slide Lock Reload On The Move

The National Shooting Sports Foundation has released another of their training tips video. This one features Adam Painchaud of the Sig Sauer Academy.

In the video, Adam demonstrates a slide lock reload drill. This drill consists of two precision shots at a 25 yard steel target, a slide lock reload while moving backwards and finishes off with two close range shots on a paper target while moving.

Adam notes that the drill teaches self-discipline because it forces the shooter to concentrate on the second 25-yard shot before moving backwards and reloading. The natural tendency is to think about the reload and the move as you are taking that second shot.

Video: Ankle Holsters For Concealed Carry

The National Shooting Sports Foundation has just released another one of their excellent training videos. This video features SIG SAUER Academy’s Adam Painchaud talking about carrying a pistol or revolver in an ankle holster.

As I have long batted around the idea of doing this given that I drive a lot and often work in places where guns are not welcome though not illegal. While it is not the ideal situation for a primary carry gun, it is good for a backup gun as well. I think it is a viable option when it’s a choice between carrying and not carrying due to clothing or the work environment.

Adam mentions both Galco and Alessi holsters for ankle carry. I’m sure there are others if you look. I think he is correct in saying a flimsy holster isn’t got to be comfortable. I’d go a step further and say it ain’t gonna cut.

One last comment – if you typically wear skinny jeans, you may want to consider other alternatives for carrying your concealed firearm. Just saying.

When Jerry Gives Advice, I Listen

If you are of an age, you’ll remember the old TV ads for stock brokerage E. F. Hutton. The tag line of the ads was that when E. F. Hutton spoke, people listened. I’m like that when Jerry Miculek offers advice.

In the video below, Jerry offers pointers on how to hold your AR-15 for consistent and accurate shooting. Given Jerry’s success at 3-Gun which requires both speed and accuracy, it is a given that he knows of what he speaks.

New Video Series From NSSF

The National Shooting Sports Foundation has launched a new video series featuring Chris Cheng. Cheng went from self-taught amateur working for Google to the winner of Top Shot Season 4. This new series is aimed at the new or beginning shooter. The new series will focus on the core fundamentals that allowed Chris to advance from being a self-taught amateur to the ranks of professional marksmen.

The first video is his introduction to the series.

The next video that has been released speaks to the most important thing to consider at the range: safety. In it he presents four rules of safety that are variants of Col. Cooper’s famous four rules. While I prefer the phrasing of Col. Cooper’s rules, these appear to be stated in a way that will be understood by the absolute rank beginner not coming from the gun culture.

NSSF Defensive Pistol Tip – Drawing Your Pistol In A Car

In one of the latest training tips videos from the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Adam Painchaud, Director of the Sig Sauer Academy, discusses drawing your pistol from concealment while in the driver’s seat of a car.

For the majority of us who are right-handed and carry on the strong side, the seat belt can be problematic. Adam shows a way of using the steering wheel to give yourself enough leverage to draw your pistol without interference from the seat belt. He also discusses alternate methods of carry including shoulder holsters, cross-draw, and the ankle holster. Personally, I drive a lot and the idea of using an ankle holster is getting more and more appealing.

NSSF Training Tip: Holdover And Offset

Adam Painchaud of the Sig Sauer Academy talks about holdover and offset in the latest training tips video from the National Shooting Sports Foundation. A red dot sight or a scope is zeroed for a specific distance. If shooting a distance that is either greater or less than the zeroed distance, you need to compensate for it in order to get an accurate hit.

Adam discusses ways to determine the holdover and offset for your rifle. This becomes important in a defensive situation when you are using a rifle at close range. It is also important if you are in a competitive match such as a 3-Gun competition.